"Huh? Well, of course I'll be participating. Don't tell me, Leader, you were going to tell me not to?"
Lucia furrowed her brow and looked at me. She wasn't exactly glaring, but the intensity in her eyes was staggering.
In my private quarters that doubled as a Treasure Weapon storeroom, accessed from the Clan Master's office, I was having Lucia charge mana into my gear as usual.
What used to take quite a while had, at some point, become smooth and effortless.
Back in the day, she'd be gasping for breath after a single charging session, but now she could charge seventeen Barrier Rings without breaking a sweat.
Lucia Roje was a consummate Mage. She had mastered every genre of magic and had once been on the verge of being named one of the empire's most powerful Mages. Even now, she never stopped developing new spells. As her brother, it sometimes worried me more than it should.
"Sure, it's tricky. No matter how spacious the venue is, the engagement range is still a swordsman's range, and killing is strictly forbidden... so even though accidental deaths are forgiven, you really can't use anything too powerful."
The Martial Emperor Festival allowed any combat method, so magic was fair game. In practice, though, most participants were melee fighters.
The arena was large, but for warriors who'd absorbed plenty of Mana Material, the distance could be closed in just a few steps. Powerful spells required chanting or specific motions—there was no way around it. High-level Mages could minimize their preparatory movements to almost nothing, but reducing motion came at the cost of power, so it was still a disadvantage.
Still, Lucia seemed raring to go. I had no idea how she'd get an entry ticket, but she apparently had connections among the empire's upper echelon Mages, so she'd probably manage somehow.
She was stubborn by nature and going through a rebellious phase to boot, so even I couldn't stop her.
I received the chain-type Treasure Weapon she'd finished charging and nodded approvingly.
"Yep, do your best."
"Huh? Why are you acting like it's none of your business?"
Huh? Well... it wasn't exactly none of my business, but it kind of was.
The Martial Emperor Festival was an individual competition—there was no way I could stick my nose into Lucia's fights. The only thing I had on her was age.
"You want advice or anything?"
"If you have time for that, shouldn't you be worrying about yourself instead?"
"Sorry about that. I'm fine over here. I'll be cheering you on."
After all, unlike Lucia, Luke, and the others, I wouldn't be participating. It'd be pretty absurd for a spectator to worry about the competitors.
Besides, the Martial Emperor Festival was just a fighting tournament. Compared to the life-or-death battles I was used to, it was practically relaxing.
"Just so you know, this time it's one-on-one combat. That's your worst matchup type, isn't it, Leader?"
"Huh? No, that's not true at all. I like the tension of one-on-one fights. Sure, chaotic brawls and flashy bouts have their appeal too, but..."
I hated doing any of them, but loved watching all of them.
That said, I'd experienced plenty of flashy fights firsthand back when I was active as the Mourning Specter, so I was kind of over watching those.
Lucia, who knew my personality all too well, blinked at my answer.
"...Leader, you're misunderstanding someth—"
Just then, a brisk melody rang out. I pulled the latest smartphone from my pocket with the fastest movement I could manage.
"Sorry, Lucia. I got a 'mail.' I need to reply quickly..."
"...Honestly!"
People from highly advanced civilizations must have used their smartphones just like this.
A "mail" was an incredibly convenient feature that let you send text messages to others—one of the many functions a smartphone offered.
With practiced fingers, I tapped the icon. A mountain of unread mails had piled up.
Most were from senders I couldn't identify, with garbled text to match. Among smartphone researchers, these were called "spam mails." Apparently, if you carelessly opened one, your smartphone could explode, so you had to be careful.
This mail was from my sister fox—who should still be serving as a deity in Toizant. Actually, the only contacts registered on my smartphone were still my sister fox and my brother fox.
The mail had an attachment. The text was just one word: "It grew." The attached image showed a towering, colossal tree.
It hadn't been that long since I left Toizant, but if my sister fox was still in that same spot in Toizant... there was no trace of the desert left.
"Look, look—it says the tree grew this much."
"Is that so."
"I need to reply soon... You have to reply to a mail within five minutes. If you can't, you still have to reply saying your battery died. Those are the rules."
"Is that so."
I immediately fired back "That's great." Almost instantly, the strange melody played again.
"Oh, this one's from my brother... Good grief, being popular is tough."
"Do as you like. The charging's done, so I'm heading out."
"Look at this, Lucia. 'They are remarkably lively. Crisis-sensei should take notes from them. This is what it means to be human!' Good grief, of course Teru and the others are livelier—they're in their prime! I should reply... 'Please give me your Treasure Weapons'... there."
There were still plenty of mysterious features I didn't understand, but the smartphone was wonderful. The possibilities were endless.
If I could get one for every Party member, we'd never have to worry about missing each other at meetups. I wished I'd been born in such a convenient era.
I'd been lost in thoughts about the distant past for a moment before remembering I was in the middle of a conversation with Lucia.
I looked back, but by then, Lucia was nowhere to be seen—not a trace. I glared down at the tiny smartphone and furrowed my brow.
"So that's how civilizations perish."
§ It seemed Luke and the others had successfully seized their right to compete. In this world, nothing was stronger than a meathead charging straight toward their goal.
Luke and the others appeared to be throwing themselves into intense training for the Martial Emperor Festival, and Citry seemed busy with something as well. I didn't really feel it myself, but the Martial Emperor Festival must have been a grand stage for warriors. Lucia was also fully absorbed in developing new techniques, so days went by without anyone coming to see me.
I'd managed the monumental feat of obtaining tickets from the Emperor, but since I was only spectating, there was no preparation needed. I spent my days lounging around the Clan Master's office, fiddling with my smartphone, polishing Treasure Weapons, and playing with the carpet, when Eva came striding in.
"Klei-dono, I've compiled the information. Please take a look. It includes the preliminary rounds. I've removed the entry for the Mourning Specter."
She handed me a thick dossier. The participants hadn't been officially announced yet, so this was presumably an internal document used by the Martial Emperor Festival organizers.
"I told you I didn't need this."
"Just look at it. There's something that caught my attention—"
What a pain. She was clearly bringing me classified documents—what on earth had Eva been witnessing all this time?
I let out a huge yawn, but since Eva's expression was grim, I reluctantly opened the file.
Inside were detailed profiles of the participants. My decision to attend the Martial Emperor Festival had been completely impromptu. Even Eva's reach couldn't possibly extend that far, yet obtaining these documents in such a short time was nothing short of terrifying competence.
I flipped through the pages, skimming casually. Unlike Luke and the others, I wasn't all that interested in the strong—even so, there were a few names I recognized scattered throughout.
"Hm? The Lantern Knight Order is entering too?"
"Probably as part of their PR efforts."
"I should cheer for them then."
"...?"
The Lantern Knight Order was a Party led by Torou, its commander—or rather, its leader. A formidable warrior with a reputation that spanned both home and abroad. Unfortunately, she rarely came to the imperial capital, so I didn't know her that well.
However, when you included Luke and the others, having this many participants from a single clan enter the tournament had to be exceedingly rare. I was genuinely looking forward to it. Surely, no matter how the matches turned out, there wouldn't be any bad blood internally.
"As long as they put on a good show."
"Klei-dono, you really are something else with how relaxed you are."
Eva let out a exasperated voice, but even a coward like me wasn't afraid of watching a tournament.
Humming a tune, I kept turning pages. And then, a particular word caught my eye.
I stopped. My eyes widened. Eva was watching me, holding her breath.
It was the name of a single participant—a Hunter. I rubbed my eyes and looked several times. It wasn't a trick of the light.
I couldn't help but smile.
"Hm...? The leader of the 'Mourning Evil Spirit'... Klah Andorich...? Pfft... What a coincidence."
So this was the point Eva had found interesting. This was definitely noteworthy.
Unfortunately, the dossier didn't include a photo, but the name was almost identical to mine. And if the Party name was similar too, that was one heck of a coincidence.
If the face matched as well—odds were, that guy was the real deal. Grinning to myself, I handed the dossier back.
"Thanks, Eva. First time I've laughed in a while."
"Uh... yes..."
"Oh, right... I just thought of something good."
I should tell Luke and the others. They'd definitely get a kick out of it.
Depending on the tournament bracket, if Luke and the others ended up fighting Klah, that would be the ultimate matchup. If this Klah turned out to be insanely strong, that would be entertaining in its own way. It'd be guaranteed material for drinks.
Eva stared at me with a worried expression as I continued grinning and indulging in frivolous thoughts—for reasons I couldn't fathom.